With apologies to Poltergeist, the Congress returns this week from its Independence Day break. All eyes are on the Senate as the country wonders if the Republicans can come together and pass healthcare legislation that will stabilize the individual health insurance market that has been devastated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare.
Senate Delay on Obamacare Repeal is a Pothole in the Road
On June 27, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced there would be no vote on the Senate’s bill, H.R. 1628, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, until after the Independence Day recess. Capitol Hill staffers have said the delay is simply a “pothole in the road.” In other words, while efforts have slowed down, the legislative process is moving forward.
A Declaration of Independence from Obamacare
When in the course of American history, it becomes necessary to dissolve an odious and oppressive law like the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), the causes which compel this action should be declared.
Who is Elizabeth MacDonough and Why is She Important?
Elizabeth MacDonough’s job doesn’t generally bring her into the limelight. While MacDonough has served as the Senate parliamentarian for five years and has worked in the office of the parliamentarian for eighteen, the public knows little of her important role with the upcoming debate on the senate bill to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare.
This is Not What I Meant by Revamp
In April 2017, CAGW published an article I wrote regarding FedRAMP, and efforts to modernize and streamline the process. Part the effort was the proposed implementation of a FedRAMP Tailored process for low-impact systems.
Time to Kill the Death Panel
With Congress poised to repeal and replace Obamacare, the time has come to abolish the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), a little-known but dangerous provision within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). Congress needs to repeal IPAB, and if it were not for the arcane rules surrounding the budget reconciliation process being used to repeal Obamacare, it certainly would have been included in either of the repeal-and-replace bills being debated.
Obamacare Repeal and Replace: It’s the Senate’s Turn
Tomorrow, on June 22, Senators are supposed to receive a discussion draft of the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), an Obamacare repeal and replacement bill. Currently, the goal is to vote on the legislation next week, just before the July 4 recess. The House passed its version, H.R. 1628, on May 4, 2017, by a vote of 217 to 213. Everyone in Washington is anxiously waiting to see and review the draft bill.
Au Revoir, Paris Accord
On June 1, 2017 President Donald Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Treaty, often called the Paris Agreement or Accord. Based on the caterwauling and wringing of hands by environmentalists, the media, state and local officials, and foreign leaders, you would have thought that floods would be ensuing within days due to the polar ice caps melting overnight and the end of the world was nigh.
GAO Duplication Report Should Guide Trump
Early in his presidency, Donald Trump has demonstrated through words and deeds a commitment to reforming and reorganizing the federal bureaucracy, including the elimination of waste, fraud, abuse and mismanagement. A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) will make that job a little easier.
Debt Ceiling: A Good Vehicle for Budget Process Reform
On March 7, 2017, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that if the debt ceiling was not raised or extended before March 16, the U.S. Treasury would be unable to borrow funds for standard operating procedures. Since then, the Treasury has been forced to use accounting maneuvers known as “extraordinary measures” to keep the government running, but these work-arounds will only delay the inevitable debate that Congress must have. Eventually, Congress will have to decide how to address the debt ceiling, or the federal government will default on its payments and risk an economic crisis.